Sooners Face Strong Field in Spring Opener

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 27 Oklahoma women's golf team heads to California to begin its 2012 spring season at the 15-team Northrop Grumman Challenge Feb. 13-15 (Monday-Wednesday). Ohio State will host the 54-hole competition at the par-71, 5,912-yard Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes, Calif.

"The event is the strongest field we have ever played since I have been at OU," said head coach Veronique Drouin. "Being invited to a tournament like the Northrop Grumman definitely shows how much the team has improved."

"We're excited to be out here for our first tournament of the year and are looking forward to competing," said Drouin. "I think this will really help us grow as a team."

Leading the Sooners into action will be sophomore Anne-Catherine Tanguay, who finished in the top 20 in each of OU's four fall tournaments and won the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic. Tanguay's 5-under-par 67 in the Susie Maxwell second round was her lowest 18-hole score ever.

Fellow sophomore Chirapat Jao-Javanil, coming off an eighth-place tie at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown in late October, will start in the No. 2 position for the Sooners. Like Tanguay, Jao-Javanil recorded top-20 finishes in each of OU's four fall events. She took first place at the Golfweek Conference Challenge.

Junior Taylor Schmidt will play in the No.3 spot for the Sooners. She competed in all four of OU's four tournaments and recorded a top-10 finish at the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic and a top-20 finish at the Texas A&M "Mo"Morial.

Emily Collins will play in OU's No. 4 position. The sophomore, who participated in last summer's U.S. Women's Open, missed the Sooners' first two fall tournaments due to illness before playing in the final two. She notched a top-20 finish at the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic.

Sophomore Jade Staggs will see action in her fourth tournament of the year and will compete in the No. 5 position.

The Northrop Grumman Challenge first round will begin at 10:30 a.m. CT. Live scoring will be available at GolfStat.com.

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